Allies
by purified-sam
Summary: A short one shot about Foxface saving Thresh while they are in the arena. Rated T for violence. Re-posted and edited from my old account LNS.


The woods were getting denser the further in I clambered. If I were not on the run from brutal killers, I would have stopped to bask in the glory of it all. The Arctic wind grazed my skin, pinching it with every caress, making me cringe back in distaste. The branches of the trees scraped and grabbed at my arms which propelled me backwards at certain points. I bounded away from the careers as fast and agile as I could however; my petite form was putting me at a disadvantage. I would not look back, the moment you look back in a chase you are as good as dead. Do not hesitate; just run in swift, elegant movements. You have to win. My fleeting form came to a stop however, when I realised where I was, I was nearing the fields were Thresh lay. There were two options that I now faced, I could either run into Thresh or I could run into the careers. I mentally slapped myself for my incapability to judge directions. I make my decision and within a split second I'm dashing towards the field into the dragons den.

The voices of the careers are becoming even more distant with every step that I take and the effects of the adrenaline that had been causing through my veins was wearing of, I felt like my body could not support my own weight anymore. I knew I wouldn't make it much further if I continued to run around blind. I take a second to collect my thoughts. Breathe. My eyes darted open and I saw a spot of cover about 50 metres forward. I was agile and vigilant as I make quiescent footsteps towards the hiding. The spot is well camouflaged, it's almost invisible. The footfalls of the careers came closer and closer and with every step they take my heart rate accelerated and my breathing turns rapid. I fear I may turn towards hyperventilating which will only give away my current location. So, I close my eyes and think of everything I'm winning for. I'm winning for my family, for my friends and for a way to escape this hell on earth. I know now though that it will never be over, the games only just begin when you leave the arena. It's why I do not want to ally with someone; I will only have to kill them and after getting to know them I fear it may be the hardest thing I will have to do. This is the Hunger Games though; it's kill or be killed.

They are so close now, I can hear their hushed conversations drift towards my ears and my vigilant eyes pick up on the swaying of the field. I can make out words, but one what projects its way into my mind is one name: Thresh. Suddenly everything falls into place around me; they are not after me they are trying to eliminate Thresh. I had just been caught in the crossfire; I was nothing but collateral damage. I felt a sweltering wave of calm wash over me before the fears set in again. I wasn't out of the woods yet; I was far from safe of that I could be certain. I bit the edge of my lips, trying to channel my nervousness in a way that would cause as little sound as humanly possible. Their footsteps descended merely 10 feet away from where I lie camouflaged. Let the hunting begin. I thought in a sarcastic manner. They were laughing amongst themselves; splatters of blood lie covered upon their skin and clothes almost as if they were trophies of what they had achieved. I was not one to judge to harshly, I'm sweet and innocent and I realise that there are two sides to every story. However, to kill without feeling remorse you have to either show no emotions or love the idea of it, just like how a child loves the idea of chocolate. They have to crave it, and I knew for sure this year that Marvel, Clove, Glimmer and Cato wanted to bask in their glory. I closed my eyes and sent a plea to anyone possibly listening to my thoughts; I need to get out of this alive.

Their hushed there tones after a few moments and my heart stopped. I couldn't feel the rhythmic beat that was hammering in my chest only moments ago, and it was beginning to ache. It was suddenly coming back at an unnatural pace; it was so loud that I feared that the careers could hear it from where they stood. Cato made some form of nation with his head; his hair seemed to form a halo around his perfectly sculptured face. I wanted to laugh at that thought; he was anything but an angel. I felt my head slowly move to where he had motioned to and my heart stopped again however, this time it was not for me, my heart stopped because they had spotted Thresh. I felt myself having to compress down a whimper. I was going to have to watch the careers kill him, they would not be kind either they would drag this out for hours on end if they could and I would have to endure it. I would not be able to though and I would probably end up finding some way to escape the images that would fill my head. Sometimes the hardest escape can be the easiest.

The careers settled in around him. No! I screamed in my head, I couldn't watch this. I was trapped. I realised though that not all the careers were here anymore. Clove and Marvel seemed to have gone off in the minutes of my thought. They were looking for Katniss. That's when a plan struck my brain. It was worth the risk, I was going to die anyway if they found him either by insanity or by the hands of the careers themselves. I had looked down to my left and saw just what I needed; two stones glinted in the sunlight, looking slightly ablaze and out of place. I had a slingshot within the pocket of the backpack along with an array of small knives and one just big enough to hunt with if times got desperate. I pulled out my slingshot as the two boys descended on Thresh, he will become aware of their efforts soon but by then it will be futile. I placed the slingshot in my unstable hands and silently cursed my innocence. I could feel a tear slip down my face, rolling across my chin and mixing itself in with the scenery below. This is hell! I hate it, I hate this all. I just want to go home. I whimpered inside my own head. I placed the first rock in the slingshot and angled it at the perfect position. I placed just enough force for it to fly the distance however; it would seem just loud enough to be someone tripping. I breathed out another shaky breath and managed to control my manic hands. With a few fingers I pulled the string of the slingshot backwards, took one last shaky breath and let the words please be uttered from my lips before I released it. I closed my eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when I heard the delicate noise drift this way.

"What was that?" Said the gruff voice of which I recognised to be Cato.  
"Do you think it could be loverboy? No other tributes going to be walking around like that and you cut him up pretty well." Said another boyish voice; District 3 male. "I could go and cut him up if you like." The smile was evident in the boys voice and it made bile rise in my throat. I had no idea how they could live with the idea of the blood that had been spilt at their hands.

"No way runt, do you think I'm going to give you that glory? I'll just go finish him off now, we have Thresh cornered anyway he won't leave this field. I will be back in an hour; do you think you can handle killing him?" Asked the voice of Cato again, they seemed like ghosts to me almost like random voices that could be a figment of my mind's own fears.

"Of course I can, I'm not stupid." Said the boy in return and all he got was a grunt in reply from Cato. I had realised now that their voices had raised just enough at the end of their conversation for Thresh to hear them. I breathed a sigh of relief. However, much to my dismay it did not last long. The District 3 boy had caught Threshes wondering eye and was now pulling out his own sword. I almost let out a strangled cry. I was still caged it, I was going to have to watch someone die.

As they were sprinting to get to each other an idea hit me again. I could use the rock to knock the male tribute out. The district 3 boy had the upper hand here, he had the glory he had to for fill and he had nothing to lose. The people with nothing to lose are always the most dangerous. In a blink of an eye the District 3 male was attacking Thresh and much to my horror was overpowering him with the gashes of the sword. His power defied logic however; I did not linger to question it. I pulled the rock from its place in the ground and placed it in my slingshot with haste. I pulled the string back and when the opportunity came I realised the rock. It hits its target seconds later and he went flying down. Slight bits of blood fell to the floor but from what I could gather he would wake up in a few hours. I looked up to see a slightly bewildered Thresh, whose eyes were trained directly on me. I felt myself shrink back in fear and a slight whimper escaped my lips. He seemed to contemplate what had just happened before clearing his throat with one hoarse cough.

"Did… did you just save me?" He questions with his eyes still burning into mine. I gave him a weary expression. I took a cautious step forward, making my camouflage useless behind me. I hesitated for another moment before nodding my head.

"Why?" He gave me another look however, this time it was filled with curiosity instead of shock. "You didn't deserve to die at the hands of one of them." I whispered and pulled all my courage to look him square in the eye. "You don't deserve to die." I murmured almost to myself.

He gave me another look as if he was trying to figure out what to do with me. I felt myself squirm under his gaze in obvious shyness. He could kill me if he wanted to, if he wanted to he could take five steps and snap my neck, but he didn't. Instead, he took four steps towards me and held out his hand.

"Allies?" He asked while giving me a wary glance. I hesitated for another moment, did I want an ally? I would survive longer with one but the odds were that I would have to kill him. I sighed to myself, I need to go home and Thresh may be the way. I pulled my shaking hand up to grasp his ablaze one.

"Allies." I agreed.


End file.
